New at ScerboPT: Performance Enhancement Training

By Angel L. Montanez, ATC, LAT, PES

My name is Angel Montanez, and I’ve been a Licensed Athletic Trainer in New Jersey for over 10 years. I hold a Master’s degree in Athletic Training and certification as a Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I’m very excited to join the team of medical professionals at Scerbo Physical Therapy and Rehab and to bring Performance Enhancement Training to their practice as a new and targeted level of service.

Any athlete, from amateur to professional, can benefit from learning how to move their body more efficiently as well as unlearning movement patterns that may lead to injury and hold them back in their chosen sport.

It is especially important for aspiring young athletes to learn to properly activate the correct muscles and movement patterns for their sport, so they can stay healthy and advance in ability. Children today generally don’t move their bodies as much as in past generations, so they don’t learn effective neuromuscular control. I work with a number of middle school athletes to help them improve their speed, strength, endurance, stability and balance through performance enhancement training.

Young high school athletes too often succumb to injuries that keep them on the sidelines and hamper performance. They become discouraged and may even give up their dreams of a future in collegiate sports. While performance enhancement training doesn’t guarantee a place in college sports, it does help the young athlete avoid injuries that can become chronic. I feel that, all too often, athletes are aware of potential injury and even pain only AFTER it happens. With my PES certification I can get in on the front end, before there are injuries. It’s also very satisfying when parents tell me how enhanced performance has increased their child’s self-confidence and enjoyment of their sport.

Of course, performance enhancement can benefit any athlete, at any age, whether pre- or post-injury. If you’re an adult engaged in recreational sport or fitness workouts, or a “weekend warrior” who keeps getting strained or sprained, come in to Scerbo Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation for an activity-specific performance assessment. You’re never too old to learn how to help your body move and function at its best.

I am pleased and privileged to join the licensed and qualified team at Scerbo Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation. Let’s make February a month to be proactive about performance enhancement – I look forward to meeting you!

We are always available if you have any questions or need assistance. Call us at 201-941-2240 or visit us at www.scerbopt.com to make your appointment today.

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